VOA标准英语2008年-Japan's Taro Aso Accepts 'Destiny' of Prime Min

Members of Japan's ruling party have overwhelmingly selected former Foreign Minister Taro¹ Aso as their leader, virtually ensuring he will become the country's prime minister this week. Aso now faces a daunting² task of spurring Japan's sluggish³ economy, if he wants to head off a serious political challenge to his party's 55 years of rule in elections expected later this year. VOA's Kurt Achin has more.
　
Newly elected Liberal Democratic Party President Taro Aso speaks during a press conference at the party headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, 22 Sep 2008

Taro Aso used words like "mission" and "destiny" Monday, as he accepted the leadership of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP.

Party members chose him by about a two-thirds majority, putting him on a path to be confirmed as Japan's minister by parliament this week.

Aso's two predecessors⁴ resigned abruptly⁵ over plunging⁶ approval ratings related to perceived mishandling of the economy. The LDP, which has ruled Japan for more than 50 years, now faces a serious challenge in general elections expected to be held later this year.

Aso told party members Monday he is the one to pull the struggling party together.

He says he is determined⁷ to lead the LDP to win the election, revive the country, promote reforms and move forward.

Aso will need to reunify his fractured party by appealing to supporters of his four opponents in Monday's LDP election. His main challenge, however, will be breathing new life into a lackluster domestic economy. Aso says he is ready for the task.

He says the economy is the most important issue for Japan right now.

Aso has expressed opposition⁸ to many of the privatization and deregulation reforms instituted by former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Jeffrey Kingston, Asian Studies professor at Temple University in Japan, says Aso backs an active government role in the economy, but may have some convincing to do among the public.

"He's in favor of a recent pump-priming budget, tax cuts and subsidies⁹ and things along those lines that they hope are going to revive the economy," said Kingston. "And given that Japan has a public debt to GDP ratio of 166 percent, a lot of people think that this is probably not the right thing to do."

On the international front, Aso is an outspoken¹⁰ supporter of cooperation with the United States. He is expected to work hard to break a stalemate that halted Japanese refueling of ships taking part in U.S. - led stabilization¹¹ efforts in Afghanistan.

He is also expected to press North Korea hard on the issue of abducted¹² Japanese citizens, and on Pyongyang's promises to eliminate nuclear weapons- issues that will be closely watched here in South Korea.

 

1 taro   

n.芋，芋头

参考例句：

• Main grain crop has taro,corn,banana to wait.主要粮食作物有芋头、玉米、芭蕉等。
• You celebrate your birthday with taro,red bean and butter.用红豆、芋头和黄油给自己过生日。

2 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

3 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

4 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

6 plunging   

adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

11 Stabilization   

稳定化

参考例句：

• The position of barycentre on plane directly impacts the stabilization and manipulation of plane. 飞机重心位置直接影响飞机的稳定和操纵特性。
• With the higher olefins, stabilization of the energetic intermediates occurs more easily. 在较高的烯烃情况下，高能的中间物稳定作用更易出现。

12 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。